Sixteen year old son, adjusting to change

[valleyvale1]

Hello, I am new to the post. I have a sixteen year old son diagnosed with adhd. He has a difficult time with change. He does not want to go camping with me and fights me on any other planned trips. Any suggestions?

[Onthemove1971]

Valleyvale1- I'm not sure if this is due to the ADHD or to the being 16years old... have you discussed with him why he he unhappy about going and what could make him happier? I wonder if bringing a buddy would make it better? It's so funny that they are so wanting to be adults in many ways.

But you could try the warning... in x number of days we are going camping.. count down, but you also want him to have fun. You could also reward him with something he really likes. You could have him plan something on the trip (an acitivity) then he might buy in more.

I would just be curious as to why he doesn't want to go..

Best of luck.

My mom always said my version of camping is the "Holiday Inn", I'm not a fan of sleeping on hard ground..ha ha .

Take care.

[EJsMom]

I have similar issues with my 14 yr old. If it’s not his idea, he doesn’t usually want to do it.

I agree with onthemove, I really like giving the warning. I do that with everything. In x number of days, this will happen. In x number of minutes, this will happen.

Also, I like to give choices between two things I want him to do, essentially either one is ok with me. Such as, in an hour do you want to take your shower or start your homework? You have to do one or the other first, you pick.

Maybe you could let him choose some of the camping activities or the place you camp. (You may have tried that)

One thing I’ve done is let my son choose the activity one weekend and then I choose the next weekend.

Doesn’t always work. Sometimes he refuses to do my activity but sometimes it does work and it’s worth it.

My son hates camping. Unless, he gets to fish, then he’s ok. So, I don’t take him on the trips if there’s no fishing.

It’s tough to find common ground with teenagers!

We both like movies so that’s one thing we can enjoy together. 😍

[awesomealexsmom]

I have 2 boys. One is 15 with ADHD (like me) and the other is 17. Neither one of them "wants" to do anything and they really haven't wanted to since junior high or even before. My answer- Too Bad, we are doing... as a family, with me or with dad, etc. In the past when I've asked them to pack their bags and I was told by my younger son that his bag wasn't packed because he didn't really want to go. I took away MY PHONE (The phones are mine because I pay the bill) until his bag was packed.

Good news -both usually end up having a great time doing whatever we choose. Oh, and

I can tell you from experience to make sure to go over the packing list with your son so he doesn't forget something important like deodorant or a toothbrush or you'll be the one to suffer. Also make sure you see the overnight bag in the car or physically see him put it in the car.